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Wordplay: 'Scavenger'
'Scavenger' hunts for readers' love of relics
By Clarke Reader
creader3@mscd.edu

Scavenger by David Morrell 356 pages Perseus Books Group/Vanguard Press $24.95

The idea of time capsules seems more a relic of the ’50s than something that concerns contemporary society.

At least, that’s until one cracks open the latest effort from David Morrell, Scavenger, a thriller in which time capsules play the backdrop for a deadly mind game that pushes its participants to the edge of reason.

The novel begins with Frank Balenger, the hero from Morrell’s previous novel, Creepers, waking up in the hospital after a hellish ordeal in an old hotel. The protagonist is on his way to starting a new life with Amanda Evert, the woman he rescued.

The plot picks up when the couple receives an invitation to a lecture on the history of time capsules and upon attending are drugged and taken to different places.

Balenger wakes up alone outside the city and begins a desperate search for Evert in a twisted type of scavenger hunt. When it seems every step he takes is being monitored and every clue he finds is left on purpose, Balenger slowly starts to realize that he is the pawn in a very dangerous game.

Evert’s situation upon waking is much more dire. She and a group of strangers have been stranded in the wilderness, with no idea where they are. They have no food, water or means of communicating with the outside world. All they have to guide them toward escape is a disembodied voice that seems to know all their secrets.

This voice turns out to be that of an anonymous man who refers to himself only as the Game Master. The group has to use their various talents and survive to find one of the most famous time capsules in history: the Sepulcher of Worldly Desires.

The two plots intertwine nicely without venturing too far off before checking in on the other. The action and suspense are maintained throughout, and it is one of those rare books that cannot be set down until the story is finished.

The novel also contains compelling commentary on video games, since the Game Master is trying to create the ultimate video game. For gamers and others who would like to see video games given a little more respect, this book is worth the read.

For history buffs, the book boasts plenty of facts and relics. With the exception of the Sepulcher of Worldly Desires, all the other time capsules mentioned are real. As for the fictional Sepulcher, Morrell uses the plot device to offer a twisted, yet oddly familiar commentary on modern society and how it can be eschewed.

The biggest problem with the book may be its opening sequences, which pick up right where Creepers left off. The lack of a back story may throw new readers for a loop. What’s more, some of the secondary characters aren’t as fully developed as they could be, but they still display a convincing amount of realism.

For fans of history, video games or just good old-fashioned thrillers, Scavenger is a hunt worth going on.